R-Point

Written and directed by: Su-Chang Kong
Cinematography: Hyung-Jing Suk
2004, 107 min. , R, region 1 Tartan Asia Extreme

The disc:

Tartan Asia Extreme serves up a great looking and sounding disc here. The level of detail in the daylight scenes is astonishing and the blacks, while not perfect, are very good. I chose the DTS 5.1 track for audio and it offered an expansive soundfield. The subwoofer rattled the walls at all the right moments and the rears engaged often to create a fully-formed environment. The sound really created a terrific sense of atmosphere.

Quote: "How can the living live in a place where the dead wouldn't?"

The story:

The Korean military receive a distress call from a unit lost in action and thought to be deceased six months prior. The unit was last located at R-Point (a map position for the dangerous no-mans land on the border of Vietnam). The command decides to send out a search and rescue mission. To entice soldiers to volunteer for this mission, early departure from service is offered to anyone who will go.

Upon arrival at R-Point, an altercation occurs that sets the tone for the rest of the mission. The area where the soldiers set up camp afterwards is known as Vietnamese holy ground yet it is foggy, damp, and inhospitable.

Awakening the following morning, the soldiers find the landscape has practically changed before their eyes in the light of day. Day one of a five day search begins with the soldiers breaking into groups. Very quickly someone goes missing, turns up dead, and a frightening revelation leaves everyone questioning their mission and their sanity. Radio transmissions add to fears of other soldiers in the area. The battlefield seems to be closing in around the unit as they begin to question the decision they made to take the mission. The focus of their search seems to be slipping away along with their dreams of returning home.

The spiral of uncertainty that is war begins turning towards it's conclusion more and more rapidly as the group questions their leader, their chances of survival, and their sanity. Determining what is real and what is not becomes the balancing board that will ultimately lead these men to salvation or death.

Discussion: (major spoilers here so proceed only after watching the movie)

R=Point is best described as a slow burn. The pace seems designed to mimic that of war itself: moments of boredom interrupted by explosions of violence, fear, and surreal imagery. While I never found it boring I would say that it does take it's time getting to where it is going. In a nice twist for a war film it does require close attention to pick up on it's themes and small details. I think it is much better categorized as a war film than a horror movie (although the irony of the horror of war is where i would say this film makes it's point). Less a blunt-edged sword than a fine razor, R-Point lays it's groundwork as a ghost story disguised as commentary on the condition of men in war.

Opening with a distress call is a proper place for the movie to begin as communication plays a major role in the film. The missing units message, French soldiers who radio from R-Point but are not seen, the struggle with communications to obtain orders from base, and even a confusing meeting with American soldiers all show the fear and concern that vague information can incite. All these moments play on the confusion created on battlefields when communication is unclear.

A very unexpected and welcome surprise for a film like this was the number of eerie moments that happen in broad daylight. The area being searched is mostly grassland, tall swaying reeds that disguise what is right in front of the soldiers. The discovery of the temple that almost rises from the ground in daylight is a nice sequence. The shot of a soldier staring at one of the unit members from behind swaying grass may not be original but it is effectively chilling. The friendly fire incident later shows the effect that the fear has on the decision making ability of the group. In a signature moment, there is a wonderful scene where one of the unit has fallen behind and is trying to catch up with the rest. He runs haphazardly through the weeds until he sees the squad ahead of him. Shouting at them, he receives no response which frightens him further. The sun beats down on the field and the monochromatic juxtaposition of their uniforms and their surroundings make for an eerie feeling of displacement. When the squad ducks for cover and melts into the grass and disappears...... it is a truly impressive moment.

The altercation that occurs upon their arrival is pertinent in that it is simple warfare: Sudden fear from an unknown origin, dawning recollection of what must be done, and the moment of violence that must follow for one side to be victorious. The surprise of finding the young woman in the aftermath and the decision to leave her to die as opposed to killing her will "haunt" the squad for the rest of the movie. Her appearance later (i guess we can't have any form of horror movie anymore without a stringy-haired girl showing up) is a reflection of the atrocity of war and a cue for living with choices made in a moment of great duress. Remembering those moments will lead each soldier to their own reckoning as surely as she leads the unit leader to the graveyard of the past.

Some moments don't work as well as others. The "spirit effect looking at them" was lifted right out of Predator and The Evil Dead and muted the emotion of scenes each time it was used. I don't have an explanation or idea as to what was going on with the American Soldiers. Were they real? The discovery later of the helicopter later indicates not. The fact that everyone saw them and spoke with them is not in keeping with the rest of the film. I welcome your thoughts on this.

I have used the word "moments" many times here. Thematically that is R-Points crux, the little moments that lead to the end. The realization that the first dead member of their team did not ship out with them, the French soldiers who do not exist anymore but are calling out from the past, and the growing unease that perhaps the decisions being made are not of their own will...all of these show some aspect of warfare. The soldier who "appeared" on the beach is a link to the faceless inhumanity of conflict. The French soldiers are wanting to join the land of the living but all they can do is come to bring a new soldier to the land of the dead.

The soldiers kill themselves out of fear for their lives and sanity. The last remaining member of the squad is literally blind to the atrocities committed by others and himself. As he calls out to the leader he has just killed for help, the bleeding radio begins a new call. War is always calling and,as long as someone will listen, it will bring us to bloodshed and violence. The supernatural events in R-Point could all be the signs of wars effect on humanity (except that American unit showing up, I can't figure that out). The ghost is war itself. As long as there are people fighting, it will live on.

Recommendation:

I enjoyed R-Point! It is rare to find a war/horror movie that is stronger in thematic elements than action or bloodshed. This movie is so strong I am excited to see Su-Chang Kong's recent film, GP506. The opportunity for interpretation of R-Point is wide open for discussion. That is what all great movies do....invite conversation. Must-see for all fans of war/horror/supernatural.